


Age of Foolishness

by mewgirl1995



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Yotsuba Arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 13:38:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12683013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: It was inevitable that two similar people who spent long hours together would form a close relationship. L was foolish for never considering that, especially when Light's own stubbornness gets him hurt.





	Age of Foolishness

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Italiano available: [L'epoca della stoltezza](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12695268) by [MaryFangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaryFangirl/pseuds/MaryFangirl)



One thing that L noticed during his continual monitoring of his suspect was that Light often forgot to eat. He would be hard at work when the others got lunch and insisted that he would eat later. Then, it soon became nighttime and Light insisted on going to bed to get a good night's sleep. "You should eat more," L said one night as Light was in the shower. He leaned against the shower door, playing with the handcuff chain. 

"What do you mean?" Light asked and he sounded genuinely confused. "I eat plenty." 

"You missed breakfast and dinner today," L said, counting the meals on his fingers. "As well as dinner and lunch yesterday. The day before I don't think you ate anything at all."

"You're one to talk," Light said with a laugh. "All you eat is sweets." 

"It's something at least." 

"It raises your blood pressure. Maybe that's why you're so annoying all the time." 

"That sounds like something Kira would say."

With an exasperated sigh, Light fell silent and continued his shower.

The sound of the water was relaxing. L leaned his head back as his damp hair dripped onto the floor. He was still pleased at how warm the bathroom was and even more pleased that he successfully silenced Light. L spared a glance behind him at the opaque door. There was a pleasant warmth in his chest that he had been trying to ignore for weeks. 

In thinking of his plan to prove Light was Kira, L didn't consider one factor. People who spend a lot of time together tend to get attached to one another. That was why people made friends at school or work. It was a simple truth of the world. It didn't help that Light and L were two people naturally suited to one another. They were both geniuses surrounded by idiots. L closed his eyes. The midnight games of chess didn't help keep their relationship professional. Neither did the way Light would quietly ask about L's past and he couldn't help but answer, albeit with sparse details. Light had learned more about him than any other person, beside Watari. L thought of Light's warm brown eyes and couldn't help but smile slightly. It didn't help that Light Yagami was beautiful. 

A sudden crash interrupted L's thoughts. He turned with a slight frown. "Light?" There was no response. "Light!" In an instant, L was on his feet and he threw open the shower door. Blood swirled across the pale tile and down the drain. A blood stain on the handle of the shower revealed where Light hit his head, though at the moment he laid unconscious on the floor of the shower. "You never listen," L said through gritted teeth. He shut the shower water off and reached for Light, jostling his shoulder. When he did not wake right away, L called for Watari.

Since it was late at night, most of the other task force members were long gone. L paced back and forth before the bed, waiting for Light to wake up. The wound on his head was superficial, though it did seem likely he would have a concussion at the very least. Light stirred slightly in bed, tugging at the chain. Immediately, L turned. Light blinked, raising his head sleepily. "Where?" Light asked with a soft voice. "Where am I?" 

"In bed," L said. "You fell in the shower. 

Light's eyes were hazy as he looked to L. "Ryuuga?" He said, a hand to his forehead. "No, L." 

"The chance that you have a concussion has increased from 20% to 80%," L said with certainty. He walked back over, sitting on the bed beside Light with his knees drawn to his chest. "Light, do you remember what happened before you fainted?" 

"You were being insufferable," Light said with a hint of a smile. "Though considering you are that way most of the time it doesn't really tell us if I'm suffering from much memory loss." 

"You passed out because you haven't been eating well." 

"Maybe the shower was too hot." Clarity was returning to Light's eyes. He sat up, running his hand through his hair and feeling the bandage around his head. "Maybe it was the stress of you always insisting I'm Kira." L chewed on his thumb as Light shot an accusatory glance at him. "Regardless, it's happened and I'm fine." Light laid down again and rolled over, pointedly facing away from L. 

"You never admit when you need help," L said quietly. It was another trait of Light's that he noticed. He was stubborn to the point of self-destruction. Light did not respond. 

While L had no intention of going to sleep, he remained sitting on the bed. As the hours ticked by, he kept careful watch over Light. He slept soundly and rolled back over during the night. It wasn't the first time L had observed Light while he was sleeping, but he had never been so close to him. At night seemed to be one of the few times when Light looked truly at peace. Almost three hours had passed by since Light fell back asleep. With a little bit of selfishness, L reached out and gently stroked his cheek. Light stirred, eyes fluttering open. 

"What?" He asked. 

"You're supposed to be woken up every three hours." 

"Oh." Light closed his eyes again, not seeming to notice the way L's fingers lingered by his cheek. 

The next few hours crept by slowly and L slowly realized that he was in deep trouble. The window was partially open, casting silvery shadows across Light's face as he slept. Once again, L was reminded of Light's beauty. Again, needing to wake Light, L reached out and touched his cheek. 

Murmuring under his breath, Light reached out and caught L's fingers. "I'm fine. Let me get some rest." 

"You are coherent I suppose." 

When Light didn't let go of L's hand, he began to doubt his previous assertion. He laid with his hand lightly pressing L's into the pillow. With a sharp breath, L told himself he should pull his hand away, but couldn't bring himself to move. There were two kinds of warmth that came from Light's hand. One was the physical warmth, the heat of his skin. The other was a deep warmth, something that stirred in his chest. It was that warmth that made him pull away. Glancing at the clock, L sighed. He would only need to wake Light up once more during the night.

"Light," L said quietly, rather than reaching out to touch him. Light rolled onto his back, eyes flickering open. "Well, you seemed easily roused each time." 

"Don't you ever sleep?" Light asked. 

"Not when there is something important to do." 

Rolling back onto his side, Light looked up at L with a dazed, tired expression. "Lay down for just a while. I swear I won't die if you don't wake me up constantly." 

"I'm not tired." 

"Then pretend to sleep for my sake." 

After a moment of consideration, L laid down and hesitantly pulled back the covers. He found himself closer to Light than he would have liked. The cold metal of the chain sucked the warmth from him as it laid across his arm and ankles. There was a fond expression on Light's face. He closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep. L found himself staring, taking in every inch of his face. Once more, he reached out and delicately touched Light's cheek allowing his fingers to drift to Light's lips. 

"Go to sleep L." 

Jerking back like he was shocked, L rolled over. He kept his gaze glued to the wall. There wouldn't be a need to wake up Light any more that night. 

In the morning Light didn't eat breakfast. L watched him with a pointed gaze as he pulled off the bandages before any of the other task force members arrived. When Watari brought over a slice of cake for L, he picked up the plate and rolled over to Light in his chair, setting the plate down before him. "What is it Ryuzaki?" Light asked. 

"You didn't eat breakfast."

"I'm not hungry." 

Pursing his lips slightly, L stuck the fork into the cake to get a large bite and held it out to Light. He looked back with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "You should have some," L said. 

"I'm fine." 

"Light," L lowered his voice as he spoke. "Eat the cake or I will tell your father you passed out from not eating enough." Light grumbled something under his breath and then tentatively ate the bite of cake from L's fork. "Thank you." Without being asked, Watari set another plate of cake in front of Light. "Eat your breakfast." 

"Cake is not breakfast," Light protested, but picked up the fork anyway. 

When L spied Light not eating lunch the following day, he declared that they would all take a mandatory lunch break from then on. Light stared over at him with an irritated look. Once everyone had left for the day, Light turned on him, "I'm not a child! Why are you insisting on treating me like I can't take care of myself!" 

"Because you can't," L said simply. "It would be imprudent of me to let my top suspect die." 

"I can't believe you!" Light turned to storm away, but was pulled back by the chain. He grasped at it, clenching it tight in his hands. "For a moment, I thought you might have actually cared and were just showing it in your own way, but of course not. It's all just part of a grand scheme to prove that I'm Kira, isn't it?" 

"I know that you're Kira." The moment the words left his mouth, L knew it was the wrong thing to say. 

Light angrily tugged on the chain, pulling L from his chair, but he didn't go far. He slipped into the bathroom and slammed the door, which put further tension on the chain. L sat by the door. He leaned his head on his knees, thinking of anything he could say to reassure Light. He failed to think of anything. Almost an hour passed before Light opened the door. He kept a straight face as he walked over to the bed, clearly intent on going to bed. 

"You haven't eaten dinner," L said quietly. 

"Maybe I should just starve myself," Light snapped. "Then you'll be left without your top suspect and you'll see that you were wrong!"

Under normal circumstances, L might have been satisfied that he pushed Light's buttons enough to get him to lose composure. However, the hurt shining in Light's eyes squashed any sense of satisfaction L might have gotten from his outburst.       

"Light-"

"Are you going to just continue pretending you care about me in between your accusations?" Light demanded. He took a step closer to L, towering over him as L had not gotten up from the floor. "Did you even mean it when you called me your first friend?" 

"Yes."

Light snorted in disbelief. He clenched his hands and L wondered if he was going to punch him again. As Light looked away again, his hair fell over his eyes. "We haven't spent a single moment together where you haven't suspected me of being Kira."

"No, we haven't."

Light punched him. L nearly kicked him back, but remembered his concussion. He hit the ground hard instead and laid there for a moment, breathing ragged. "I hate you!" For some reason, Light's words stung. He pulled away, tugging on the chain hard so he could get to the bed and lay down. L bit his lip, resisting the urge to cry out at the sharp pain of metal cutting into his skin. He got up, head still spinning from Light's punch. Walking over to the bed, L sat on his side. Light pulled even further away, laying as close to the opposite edge as he could. 

Light stopped eating entirely. At first, L wondered if it was just a tactic to convince him he wasn't Kira. He remained quiet, watching as Light went without meal after meal for several days. They didn't speak much more than a few words throughout that entire time. The longer L quietly watched Light, the more he realized that Light was genuinely upset. 

After four whole days of Light not eating, L spoke up, offering a bite of his cake to Light. "Here, you should try some," He said. "It's very good." 

"Stop it," Light said, not looking away from his computer. 

"You can have mine." L offered the whole plate. Light clenched his hands, though L was certain he would not get angry in front of the rest of the taskforce. "I insist." L rolled closer, holding the plate out with one hand and gently touching Light's shoulder with his other hand. "It's a red velvet cake. I admit it's somewhat rich but-"

"Stop toying with me!" Light slapped the plate out of L's hand and it smashed into the ground, drawing the attention of all the other task force members. Light's whole face was twisted into a murderous expression. "We're not friends!" 

"Light?" Soichiro stood, walking over to them with a concerned look. "Are you okay?" 

Immediately, Light's mask returned. "I'm just a little stressed," He said with that fake smile. L wondered how everyone was so easily fooled by it. Soichiro nodded. 

L chewed on his thumb, glancing away. Light was not nearly okay. He looked pale and he often stumbled as he walked. His head wound still hadn't healed entirely and would likely take longer if Light continued to refuse to eat. Worst of all, the trust between Light and L had been completely shattered. L had gone too far in insisting Light was Kira. Something changed during Light's confinement, L had suspected that Kira was something that could move between people the more he observed Light. He should have voiced his thoughts to him rather than insisting Light was Kira. Or at least insisting that Light was still Kira.

The following night, Light was coughing. L glanced away from his laptop, looking over at Light's huddled form on the bed. "Are you alright?" 

"Leave me alone," Light said with a quiet whimper. It was unlike him to sound so weak. L reached over, gently touching Light's shoulder. "Don't." His voice sounded raspy. L frowned and leaned over to lay the back of his hand to Light's forehead. As he expected, Light's skin was hot to the touch. "Stop." 

"You're sick," L said. "Your stubbornness really is self-destructive."

"I'm not sick." 

"The task force will work without us tomorrow. You need to rest." 

"I'm fine!" 

"And you will have some soup in the morning." 

"I hate you," Light muttered. His words stung. 

"I'm sorry you feel that way." 

After L's refusal to move from the bed, Light resigned himself to lying in bed for the day. Watari brought a bowl of soup, which Light ate slowly. He looked very pale. L watched him, but remained quiet. After he ate, Light set the bowl aside and laid back down again. 

"I'm going to sleep some more." 

"Okay." 

Light's coughing got worse throughout the morning. It got to the point where L set aside his laptop altogether as he watched Light rest with a worried expression. When Light opened his eyes and looked up, he had an expression of pure misery. 

"I'll have Watari bring more soup." 

Light nodded weakly. His illness had taken much of his obstinacy out of him. Knowing that, L quickly took the chance to explain himself. 

"I care about you," L said quickly. "And as far as Kira goes, I have hypothesized for a while that Kira's power is capable of shifting so right now you-"

"Don't talk about Kira," Light mumbled. 

"Alright." 

After eating the second bowl of soup, Light laid down again, though he laid facing L. He looked slightly less pale than before, but his breathing was still ragged. L flinched as Light's coughing started up again. L reached over and touched Light's shoulder lightly. When he didn't protest, L rubbed small circles on his back. "L," Light breathed quietly. 

"Ryuzaki," L said. 

"Shut up, I'm sick. Let me call you L." 

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me." 

Rather than speaking, Light shifted closer as he shoved L's legs down and laid his head in L's lap. Startled, L stared down at him, unsure of how to proceed. "Keep rubbing my back," Light said, though it was more of a demand than a statement. He continued coughing and curled closer to L.

Considering the situation, L obeyed. He smoothed his hand over Light's back, rubbing for a while until the cloth of Light's shirt irritated his hand. Then, he carefully slipped his hand under Light's shirt, feeling his soft skin. It burned as he smoothed his hand across Light's back. What had caused Light to be so upset with him all of a sudden? L wondered as he sat there with Light in his lap. L considered the past several weeks. He thought back to their time spent together. 

A few memories stuck out in L's mind. He thought of how Light beamed at his praise. He remembered when he caught Light staring at him more than once. He considered how Light sat closer to him than anyone else, closer than the chain necessitated. Then of course, he thought of how Light tried to hold his hand the night after he fell in the shower. Warmth spread through L's chest once again. 

"There's an 80% chance you're in love with me." 

Light didn't respond.

"Are you in love with me?" 

 Light buried his face in L's lap, purposefully hiding his expression.

"You are." 

"It certainly says something about my own common sense doesn't it," Light said under his breath. "I'm a fool." He sat up suddenly, swaying from the quick movement. His eyes were half closed and he had a drowsy look on his face. L's hand was still firm on his back, helping hold him steady. L thought that he could feel Light's heartbeat. "Or maybe it's Stockholm syndrome." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against L's. The heat from his fever burned. 

"Light," L whispered as Light pulled back. He pushed gently on his back to pull him into another kiss. Sliding on the bed, L laid down, pulling Light onto his chest. "You need to rest more." He returned to rubbing gentle circles on Light's back as he coughed again. Though he also shifted his other hand to Light's hair, smoothing it down before tangling his fingers in it. 

"L, stay with me." 

"I will." 

When Watari came with their dinner, he sent a small smile towards L, but said nothing. L gently smoothed his hand over Light's cheek. "Wake up," He said. Light coughed and buried his face in L's chest. "Light, don't be stubborn." 

Sitting up slowly, Light met L's stern gaze. Again, Light leaned forward and kissed L. His lips felt less hot than earlier, though he still looked out of it. 

"Your fever is going down," L said. He reached over and grabbed the bowl of soup. "Here." Light took it, but stayed glued to L's side. 

Light's illness subsided within the next few days and it was back to business as usual. Though Light was eating again. Occasionally, he still missed meals, but it was nothing that worried L. Only ever in the quiet of their bedroom did Light kiss him. L relished each stolen kiss, casting aside all of his doubts about Light being Kira. It was irrational, but L had already made his decision. 

"Light," L said quietly one night. His hand was on Light's cheek as he unlocked the handcuffs. Light looked from their wrists, back to L's face, expression becoming confused. "Shall we shower together tonight?" Light's breath hitched. 

"Okay," Light agreed. "Let's." 

After their shower L didn't put the handcuffs back on and Light said nothing. They laid together in bed, L tracing Light's features with his fingers. Light caught his hand and kissed his fingertips. "I love you." 

"I love you too."  


End file.
